


Stuck in the Middle

by Kerry_0506



Category: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Genre: Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Singing, Trapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-25
Updated: 2012-02-25
Packaged: 2017-10-31 17:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/346653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kerry_0506/pseuds/Kerry_0506
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Take a tech and an analyst then throw them down a pit. Mix in one cup of blood loss, a dose of concussions and a bucket load of time to kill. What would any pair of mature, grown men do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stuck in the Middle

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

“So we’ve been stuck down this Goddamn hole for how long now?” 

Benji looked at his watch and let his aching head fall back against the dirt wall behind him. “One hour and seventeen minutes and thirty two seconds.” 

“One hour, seventeen minutes and thirty two seconds-”

“Thirty five seconds now.” 

“Ok, thirty five seco-”

“Thirty seven…”

“Shut it, Benji.” 

“A… I… yep, this is me… shutting up…” Benji closed his eyes as he listened to Brandt going on about their current predicament. The predicament that involved the two agents being trapped down a pit in the middle of some forest with no cell phones and very sore throats from shouting for help. Not to mention the gunshot wounds that each agent had – Benji’s shoulder and Brandt’s leg. How did this happen? It’s a long story.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

“Truth or dare?” 

“Are you serious?” Brandt turned to the tech, eyes wide at this new level of immaturity. “What are you, five years old?”

“It’ll pass the time.” Benji gave one of his infamous grins and the analyst rolled his eyes. 

“Maybe when we’re _not _in the middle of a creepy, dark forest on a mission, k?”__

“Fine, killjoy…” Benji shrugged and kept on walking, gun in hand. The team had split up to search for the men they were chasing after the original plan went wrong and their targets escaped into the nearby forest. “What’s the betting that Ethan and Jane have already caught these guys while we just wander around aimlessly, and continue to do so for hours, before anyone cares to let us know?”

Brandt had to smile at this. For some reason, he could actually see that happening. “Well, if that’s the case then I’m sur-GAH!” his sentence was cut short by a resounding gunshot and a yell of pain escaped the analyst’s lips. 

“Brandt?!” Benji turned to see his friend collapse to the floor clutching his leg. The tech ran to his side and knelt down. “God, Brandt, are you ok?” Brandt opened his eyes, which had been squeezed shut due to the pain, and looked up at the other agent. He was about to reassure him that he was ok, but something behind the tech caught his eye.

“Benji! Look out!” his warning came too late, though, and he saw Benji grabbed by his arms and pulled to his feet by two men, one of who jabbed a gun into Benji’s side. Brandt made to stand up and run – well, attempt to run – to his friend’s aid, but another man appeared above the analyst, pointing a gun at his head. 

“Well, well, what do we have here?” the man standing above Brandt spoke up. Crouching down next to the analyst, he poked the gun into the centre of Brandt’s forehead. “You are the people from the party, aren’t you?” he stood up and turned to the men holding Benji hostage. “Let’s go.” Brandt saw them tug on Benji’s arms and begin to walk, pulling the struggling tech with them. Before Brandt could even comprehend what was happening, he felt the third man roughly grab a fist full of his jacket and he found himself being dragged along the uneven ground. He contemplated slipping out his cell phone and subtly dialling Ethan, however when these men also had a gun on Benji, he didn’t want to risk anything happening. By the time the momentum had stopped, Brandt’s lower back and butt were aching. The man bent down and searched the analyst’s pockets, relieving him of his gun and cell phone; glancing up, he noticed Benji was also getting the same treatment. He then saw one of the other goons push Benji forward with the barrel of his gun, stopping him a few feet away from his original position. 

“Turn around.” The man ordered and the tech did as he was asked. He exchanged a terrified glance with Brandt, unsure of what was going to happen, before the man made his move. He lifted his gun and pulled the trigger, Benji’s shoulder snapping back as the bullet tore through it, sending him tumbling backwards. Brandt jumped at the gunshot, however what frightened him more was that as Benji fell backwards, he didn’t hit the ground. He completely disappeared into it. 

“Benji!” he hadn’t called him by his code name, however at this point in time, he didn’t care. He suddenly felt rough hands grab him again and he was pulled forward. 

“Don’t worry.” A voice spoke out as Brandt came to a halt. “You’re joining him.” Brandt glanced over slightly and noticed that he was lying on the edge of a rather large pit. At the bottom, about fifteen feet down, he could see Benji’s motionless figure. He hoped that the tech was alive. “Have fun down there.” The man spoke again and Brandt felt a foot press into his stomach, pushing him so that he rolled over the edge and began to fall. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the impact. 

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

So here they were. When both agents had regained consciousness after the fall, they had immediately tended to each other’s wounds as best they could. The first injuries to be looked at were the bullet wounds. Both had been through-and-throughs, which made things slightly easier to deal with, however they had no real bandaging and no way to clean the blood so as to avoid infection. Still, they did their best and moved onto their head injuries. Brandt had landed on his back, the rock that had hit his head leaving a painful gash on the back of his skull, causing blood to drip down under the collar of his shirt. Benji appeared to have hit his head side on; his injury sat just above his ear in his hair. The blood stood out, even in the dim light, against the tech’s blonde hair. 

They had then begun calling for help, which was rendered pretty superfluous after twenty minutes of unsuccessful shouting. All that they achieved was sore throats and worsened headaches. They had also tried climbing the walls of their prison, however with only three arms and three legs between them, that plan also went out the window. Benji had slid down the side of the pit, not really caring for the dirt that painted the back of his jacket as he moved. Brandt, in the meantime, made a shocking attempt at pacing with his injured leg, trying to think of other ways that they could get out. It always amazed Benji that Brandt’s mind was always on the go. He watched him limp across the small space. The hole at its widest was about four meters in diameter, not leaving much room for two fully grown men to fit comfortably. Particularly two _injured _grown men who were getting more and more irritable by the minute.__

“What are we gonna do?” Brandt asked. Benji would have answered him however it was about the fourth time in the last ten minutes he had asked the question so the tech kept his mouth shut, letting him blow off some steam instead. “We can’t call for help, we can’t _shout _for help, we can’t reach the top… what the hell are we supposed to do?”__

“Kill time?” Benji offered. Brandt stopped his pacing and turned to him. He appeared to be thinking on what the tech was saying.

“What exactly did you have in mind?” he asked, clearly just wanting to occupy his mind with something other than their current situation. 

Benji offered a small smile. “Truth or dare?”

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

“Have you ever had a girlfriend for more than three years?” 

“Yes.” Brandt smiled. “Her name was Carrie, we were partnered together in chemistry in our final year of school. We were together for a while until her parents decided to move to Adelaide.” 

“Adelaide, as in… Australia?”

“Yep…”

“Wow, that’s far…” Benji picked at his fingernails as he listened to Brandt. 

“Yeah, well we tried the long-distance thing, but after a few months it became too much for her so we ended it.” 

“Shame…. What was she like?” Benji shifted on his spot slightly. 

“Uh-uh, you only get the one question. Rules are rules.” Brandt grinned. 

“Rules? What rules? We never set any rules…” Benji was confused.

“We didn’t?” Brandt’s eyebrow raised and he shrugged. “Oh well, I’m setting them now.”

“Ok, fine.” Benji raised his hands in defeat, a shot of pain raced through his arm at the movement so he placed them back into his lap again. 

“Right, your turn.” Brandt brought his legs in and crossed them. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth…” Benji waited for whatever embarrassing question the analyst had lined up for him. 

“Hmmmm…” Brandt pondered. “When did you have your first kiss?” 

“Seriously?” Benji asked, exasperated at his immature choice. “You really must be affected by the blood loss… I’m changing to dare.” 

“Fine, I _dare _you to answer my question.” Brandt smiled evilly and Benji clenched his teeth together.__

“Shit…” he whispered. 

“Come on, Benj. It can’t be that bad…” he paused for a second and tilted his head to the side. “Can it?” 

The tech sighed and shifted on the spot again. The ground wasn’t really comfortable and was making his arse numb. “Ok, I was eighteen… I wasn’t exactly the guy all the girls were chasing, unlike you probably were. I kept myself to myself and no one ever bothered me.” He looked over at Brandt’s unreadable expression and sighed again. “Go on then.”

“Go on what?”

“Laugh it up.” Brandt raised his eyebrows at this. 

“Who’s laughing?” the analyst raised his hands in defeat. “Hey, man, nothing wrong with that.”

Benji smiled slightly at this. “Thanks.” When Brandt returned the smile, Benji sighed. His mind was going a little fuzzy from the blood loss, but he refused to let it beat him. “Man, I can even think of any good questions anymore…” 

“You mean the ones you asked me already _were _good?” Brandt laughed then yelped when Benji threw a fist full of dirt at him. “Joking!”__

“So what now?” Benji asked. 

“Uh…. Deprivation?” 

“You can’t play that with just two people, Brandt. You need a group to make it fun.”

“Fine, smartass. Got any better ideas, Sherlock?” 

Brandt watched as Benji thought hard and when his eyes lit up, he couldn’t deny the hint of fear that bubbled inside him. “I’ve got the perfect game!”

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

“I can’t believe you’re actually suggesting we play this…” 

“Come on, Brandt. It’s a laugh. Besides I’ll throw in a perk for you.” Benji winked. 

Brandt squinted intensely at the tech. “What are we talking here?”

“For every one that you get right, I’ll buy you a beer once we get outta here.” Benji couldn’t stop the smile slowly taking over his face as he watched the analyst’s inner conflict. 

“So let me get this straight.” Brandt shifted on his spot again. “One of us sings a line from a song…” 

“Or a couple of lines.” 

“Right, yeah. Then, the other person has to sing the next part.” 

“Bingo.” 

“And every one of yours that I get right, you’re gonna buy me a beer.” 

“Correctamundo.” Benji blinked a few times, not entirely sure why he had said that word but shook his head and let Brandt continue. 

“And what happens if I don’t get it right?”

“You’re the analyst – work it out for yourself.” 

Brandt sighed. “I buy the beers.” 

“See? This is why you are so good at your job.” Benji grinned. 

“Fine, you go first.” Benji gave a little ‘yes!’ gesture and nodded at Brandt’s approval. 

“Ok, fine… hmmm…” he tried to think of a song that Brandt wouldn’t get right, but decided to go with an easy one first. False sense of security and all. “Right.” He took in a deep breath; despite instigating the game, he wasn’t exactly confident when it came to singing in front of people. “ _Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world… _” he pointed at Brandt and waited for the next part.__

Brandt smiled; Benji wasn’t a bad singer. But he had gone for a very easy song to start with. “ _He took the midnight train going anywhere. _” He finished and grinned. “Point one for Brandt.”__

“Fine, whatever.” Benji laughed. “And since when could you sing?” 

“I could say the same to you.” Brandt chuckled in response. Brandt hadn’t ever told any of his team, but back in high school he had been in a band. He had wanted to pursue the career; he could sing, play all sorts of instruments and write music. But it went down the drain when his parents told him that it was an unrealistic career choice. Now, he looked back on that and thought to himself: And working for a covert government agency that completes impossible missions is realistic? 

“Go on then, your turn.” Benji held out his hands as if welcoming Brandt onto a stage. 

“Alright, just lemme think, k?” Brandt tried to remember some of the covers his band used to do during their gigs. “ _Well I don’t know why I came here tonight, I got a feeling that something ain’t right… _”__

“ _I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair and I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs. _” Benji gave a small bow. “You gotta try harder than that, Will.”__

“Alright, whatever. Go.” 

Benji had already picked out his next song and began. “ _Tonight I’m gonna have myself a real good time, I feel ali-i-i-ive… _” grinning again, he waited for Brandt to continue.__

“ _And the world, it’s turning inside out, I’m floating around in ecstasy. _Now who has to try harder?”__

Brandt had to almost laugh at his own next choice. He had a feeling Benji would get it immediately, but he knew that it would get on the tech’s nerves something chronic, which was much more satifying. “ _It’s just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right… _”__

“Oh, Time Warp?!” Benji sounded disgusted. “Seriously?” Brandt lost it laughing at this. He was wheezing due to a mixture of uncontrollable laughter and pain radiating from his leg, but he knew he had to say something before Benji went on his Time Warp rant. Brandt had been subjected to it once before; something about how the song was directed at sexually repressed accountants and drama students or something like that. 

“Ok…” he managed between gasps. “Sorry… Couldn’t resist…” Benji glared in his direction but, fortunately for the analyst, spared them of his outburst. “Your turn.” 

Benji nodded. This time, he was gonna pick a more obscure one. “ _I came here with a load and it feels so much lighter since I met you… _” he watched as Brandt stared at him, blank and emotionless as he clearly tried to wrack his brains for what came next. He made to say something but then stopped himself, much like he had on the plan to India. “Do I win that round?”__

“I… yeah. Fine.” Brandt lowered his head before snapping it up again. “But I’m still winning.” 

“Whatever.” Benji found himself laughing and pointed to Brandt. “Go.”

“ _Did you write the book of love and do you have faith in God above if the bible tells you so? _”__

“ _Now do you believe in rock and roll? Can music save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow? _” Benji grinned again and Brandt returned it before the analyst continued onto the next verse.__

“ _Well I know that you’re in love with him cos I saw your dancing in the gym. _”__

“ _You both kicked off your shoes, man I dig those rhythm and blues. _” The pair began to laugh until a noise from above made them jump.__

“Benji? Brandt?” it was Ethan. 

“What are you guys doing down there?” that sounded like Jane. 

“Hey!” Benji exclaimed as the duo continued to laugh. “About bloody time you two got here.” 

“Yeah!” Brandt chimed in. “We were worried we were going to go mad!” Brandt winked at Benji and that made them lose it again. 

“How’d you guys find us?” Benji asked. 

Ethan shook his head as he grabbed the rope from his bag. “American Pie.”

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I know this one wasn’t really great but I just wanted to do something for a laugh and having Benji and Brandt singing was something that took over my mind. Anyway, for anyone wondering, the songs were, in order, as follows (and yes, they were all, in one way or another, related to our boys):
> 
> Don’t Stop Believing – Journey (One that Jeremy has sung on stage…)  
> Stuck in the Middle with You – Stealers Wheel (Jeremy has sung this one too)  
> Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen (Yep, that awesome scene from Shaun of the Dead)  
> Time Warp – Rocky Horror Picture Show (Tim Bisley from Spaced hated that song…)\  
> Green Eyes – Coldplay (One that Simon has performed on stage with the band)  
> American Pie – Don McLean (Like I need to explain the relevance of this one…)


End file.
